The Girl’s Varsity Soccer Team just could not seem to keep up with Loomis last Saturday, coming out of the game with a disappointing 5-0 score. They went into the game knowing that Loomis would prove to be one of the most difficult teams they will face all season and left with that knowledge confirmed. Although the girls played much better when the second half rolled around, the forceful Loomis team was too much for Andover to handle. Said Martha Durant ’06, “We were in control for the first 10 minutes of the game, but we had a difficult time capitalizing on our scoring opportunities.” The game started out well enough, with Andover’s offense successfully passing the ball quickly up the field. Despite their effort, they couldn’t take advantage of any of their scoring opportunities.Melissa McDonald ’06, starting the game in the net, had a challenging half as Loomis’ powerful offense disintegrated Andover’s defense. Loomis’ forwards pelted McDonald in goal throughout the entire half, and put four goals in the net. McDonald continued to play aggressively despite the goals and made two impressive saves. Rosie Raymond-Siedel ’08 said “Even though there were four goals scored, Melissa played a great half in the net, as usual. Loomis is very strong offensively, and it was tough for us to contend with, but Melissa did very well considering the competition.” Andover went into the second half with a more focused attitude. Said Kara Hollis ’07, “The first half was almost like a warm-up for us. We watched Loomis and knew more about how they played, so we got it together at halftime and went into the second half with a much better perspective on our competition.” The girls played a far more intense second half, with Julie Wadland ’06 taking McDonald’s place in goal. Wadland played an excellent game, making a number of very tricky saves, and keeping Loomis’ offense from racking up many more goals. The girls kept control of the ball for most of the half, making successful passes and some very impressive shots on goal. None, however, resulted in goals. Towards the end of the game, Loomis managed to get past the Andover defense, and was able to snipe their fifth goal of the game in a one-on-one showdown between Wadland and one of Loomis’ best offensive players. Captain Jess Taggart ’05 said, “Julie played an awesome game. She really stepped it up and held on for us in the second half.” The girls have experienced some disappointment so far, but it’s still early on in the season. Said Taggart, “We went into the game knowing that Loomis would be one of our toughest opponents this season, so playing them in our first game was difficult. There were a few goals in the first half that shouldn’t have happened, but we really calmed down and stepped it up in the second half.” As the girls continue to practice hard, they are confident that their game against Loomis will prove itself as a learning experience, and they will take what they learned to beat Tabor in their upcoming game this Saturday.
